Kyle White in Douglas

Ivan Lintin became the first double winner of the Bennetts Lightweight race with a deserved win on the Devitt RC Express Kawasaki on Wednesday evening.

The race was put back to 6.30pm from its original 1.45pm time slot after a series of delays due to mist and fog earlier in the day.

Former winner James Hillier set the early pace on his Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki and led by 1.4 seconds at the end of the opening lap, but Lintin was increasing the pressure and had forged ahead by the time they reached the Bungalow on lap two by 1.5 seconds.

The Lincolnshire rider’s advantage was up to seven seconds after a rapid pit stop and Lintin continued to put daylight between himself and Hillier, opening a gap of 11 seconds by the end of lap three.

Lintin pulled further clear on the fourth and final lap and he sealed his second win around the Mountain Course by 12.4 seconds with a final lap of 119.417mph.

Somerset’s Martin Jessopp clinched his maiden TT rostrum on the Riders Motorcycles Kawasaki in third, 1m 44.383s further back, with the top six completed by Gary Johnson (WK Bikes/CF Moto), Italy’s Stefano Bonetti on the Paton S1 and Dan Cooper.

A delighted Lintin said: “The team have done me proud again and that’s two wins for me now and three on the trot for the team.

“I made a few mistakes coming onto lap four so I had to get myself together again and it’s just mint to get another win on this little bike.”

Michael Rutter, who had been as high as third on lap one, was a retirement on Ryan Farquhar’s SGS KMR Kawasaki along with Peter Hickman, who was riding for John Burrows’ team.